Renault: Monza Win was Unlikely

The McLaren and Renault drivers appeared to be cruising in the closing stages of the event at the front of the field when Montoya suddenly began slowing with a left-rear tyre delamination.

That allowed Alonso to close down the gap at the front of the field from more than 10 seconds to just two seconds at the chequered flag - and leave the team wondering what might have been if the Spaniard had not lost valuable time earlier in the race during his pitstops.

But Renault's executive director of engineering Pat Symonds doubts whether the time lost in the pits would have been enough to allow Alonso to have actually overhauled Montoya.

"I don't think we can definitely say that without the time he lost in the pits, Fernando would have won the race," he said.

"Montoya may have been in difficulties, but his times in the first sector were still very competitive, and he remained quick on the straights: as always, catching the car in front is one thing, but passing would be quite another.

"But we know that the key at the moment is to keep McLaren under pressure to try and make them push their equipment.

"Had Fernando been six seconds closer to Montoya when he began suffering problems, then we certainly would have put him under more intense pressure, for a much longer period. Who knows what might have happened then?"